Okay, I might get myself in trouble with both Loc and the rest of you, but I wanted to run a small poll for those of you that have played STAR WARS Galaxies: An Empire Divided. I'm not sure if talking about this game is considered blasphemy by some or not. It can't be any worse than discussing D20 *Gasp!* Now I've gone and crossed the line...

In seriousness though, please vote when you have a moment as I'm curious how hardcore RPG'ers view the game. I personally picked option #2 - I have had interest in the game from its initial release, but the game as described to me (from friends, reading reviews, etc.) just never sounded like it quite fit the STAR WARS universe as I imagined it until the release of NGE (New Game Enhancements). But now that the NGE has gone live, I have found new interest in it; enough that I actually installed the game and am playing the game. So far, it seems like the STAR WARS MMO (massive multiplayer online) game I have been hoping and waiting for. Yes, I'm sure there are areas needing improvement, but gosh, it's fun! I'm having a blast so far!_________________Team ORJ

I believe there's one option missing, which is the one I'd tick. That is:

NO - I have interest in the game and would have liked to play it, but paying a monthly fee (in dollars) to play a game is just not feasible._________________"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them."

I picked no, and the reason being is that I have yet to hear a truly good thing about this game.
Yes, it is Star Wars, Star Wars is good.

But it still uses a bizzarre game system, holding too stringently to Everquest MMO conventions.

It also has a problem with rendering and character customizations. There is an endless amount of character customizing, which the game takes forever to load when there is a large group of people.
Not that loading all of that detail does any good, because everyone is covered up in the same, identity squashing blech tan colored armor. It makes everyone look the same.

This I hear from people who have played it, and still play it._________________My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

I agree, monthly fees aren't my favorite. Now when Empire at War comes out......well, let's just say I already have a copy reserved with my name on it._________________Luke, I am your father.
That's impossible!
And Leia is your sister!
That's improbable?
And the Empire will be destroyed by..EWOKS!
That's...highly unlikely.
The Force? Bacteria called midichlorians.
If you donít take this seriously I'm out.

Me, personally, I hold the same opinion of Star Wars Galaxies I hold toward all the other dollar sucking, online, cult-like games:
I refuse to buy a game for $20-$40 a pop, and then pay a monthly membership fee of $10-$20 just for the privelage of playing. I think this is the worst form of capitalism and corporate greed ever. I liked the good old days when Star Craft and War Craft included FREE battlenet access. Sure, the servers cost money to run, sure a nominal fee might be justified, but given that the fees are, in my opinion, over inflated and the game is essentially dependant on server access, it is nothing more than a scam to milk more money from honest gamers.

I would have considered playing otherwise._________________"There's a set way to gain new Force Points and it represents a very nice system, where you're rewarded for heroism, not for being a poor conductor to electricity." ~Jachra

This is why I love pen-and-paper rpg so much. It's probably the cheapest hobby in the world. Really! Think about it, all you need is a couple of books, some dice, pens and papers and you're all set for literally decades-worth of fun gaming! It's no wonder the RPG industry is always going bankrupt, it's just too damn cheap! Bless them! A single video game (just the game, not the console or pc to play it on) costs about as much as you'll ever spend on RPG material for a single system. And a video game will only last so long, you usually get tired of it after a couple of months and will only revisit it awfully sparsely. Now I've been gaming for a decade with my three or four SW books and it's still damn fresh and entertaining.

Well, that's why I posted this - to see how "old school RPG'ers" viewed it.

I understand the view on pay-to-play costs; I used to also hold a very strong personal opinion against this as well. Yes, there are the issues with bandwidth, rental fee (that's what happens essential - you pay rent for storing your virtual character), hardware upkeep, etc. but aside that there are the arguments of it's like spending on other forms of entertainment each month as a comparison. Why does someone play a monthly fee for a phone or <insert item here>? Simply put - they choose too.

I think the appeal is that a MMO brings (or trying to) the social gathering to a digital age - and age, sex, time of day, geography isn't a restriction - the internet is always "on". Playing multiple times a week "live" isn't feasible for me anymore, but I can get my RPG kick from playing SWG (it is STAR WARS - huge bonus that covers up flaws in my eyes ) or another MMO at the time I choose to, after the family is in bed, and not feel obligated to pack up my stuff, drive somewhere at a late hour at night to play for a couple of hours, then to turn around and come back home... well, that's more true for my situation than others.

I don't usually play MMO's (I did try out City of Heroes for a short time - got to love playing as a completely customizable superhero, protecting the innocent) and only am giving SWG a try seeing if all the hyped changes are worth while or not. Thank you for the responses either way you view it. And I agree - that picture linked to is hilarious! (And partly true in my case too... )_________________Team ORJ

In addition, I'd like to add that while a graphic interactive roleplaying game is a dream come true, the reality falls a bit short. I never did like the detached interaction. Too impersonal after a lifetime of traditional roleplaying. I've recently begun PbEM and found that rewarding also. It retains the traditional feel, and still allows me to keep up with work and home.

Oh well, if someone wants to spend $20 / month to play who am I to stop them? I'll just keep doing this sort of thing. _________________Aha!

I played SWG from a month after release. I was also in beta (for what good that was).

As soon as the NGE hit I left. To me, it was a half-baked FPS system. They had many things they updated that were fine but the combat and that over the shoulder cursor thing is junk.
Not to mention I don't particularly care for the fact that anyone can be a jedi. Heck, I had an issue with anyone being a jedi at all in the timeline.
It drew in the money from the players though so of course *Pfft* SOE/LA went with it.

I'm a dedicated MMORPG player. I love them if they have the things I like in them. SWG had it all up until the NGE. Now I'm a refugee.

Well maybe not so much since I did restart up my D6 SW game. Yay! I'll have a truckload more fun with the books anyhow.

The option that applied to me also wasn't available. So I picked option #3. In truth... I used to play SWG for a while but quit before NGE was released. I haven't really played NGE to have an opinion about it specifically, but I'm afraid that it won't fix the damage done by the earlier installments._________________"WHERE ARE THE CHEETOS?"

I didn't even vote, because I've never played it, but it was never available to me as an option. I don't have the money to buy the game, let alone the monthly fee, so it's really a moot point.

Don't get me wrong; I'd LOVE the opportunity to go traipsing around the SW universe, interacting with other people in this setting, and have whatever kind of character I want. I'm a visually-oriented person, so having that extra dimension playing out in front of me... But I certainly don't like the idea of the monthly fees. That's a real turn-off.

From what I hear, when Galaxies first came out, it was a great game with a rather steep learning curve. Then they released some patch that really dumbed the game down and thats what ruined it.
One of the guys I RP with used to play and he's always ranting about this._________________"You have failed me for the last time, Green Die" - Me, after rolling nothing but mishaps on the green wild die all night